Crabstar's Journey
by Thisty
Summary: Also another one of my Challenges for SecretClan. If you want to join SecretClan, PM me and i'll give you the link! :) I also have my own forums called FunClan and YewClan. If you want to join one or the other or both, PM me and I'll give you the link(s)! :)


Crabstar's Journey

A small red tom stood on a ledge that overlooked his clan. He felt sorrow and fear building up in his heart as he heard the roar of the monsters close by. A few moons ago, the monsters started coming off of the Thunderpaths and into Clan territory. StrikeClan had already fled their grassy territory and so has MarshClan, from their marshy swamps.

Crabstar sat, wrapping his tail around his paws, watching as his warriors and apprentices huddled by the fresh-kill pile, taking meager bites of the small morsels. He knew that they were scared, knowing that the monsters were close by, almost on the verge of ripping apart TorchClan territory. Gorsefur, Crabstar's daughter, came out of the nursery, her belly large.

She would be having her kit's soon, in less than a moon, and Crabstar would have to break the news to the clan that they would need to leave before then.

Crabstar sighed. "Why does this have to happen to us," he whispered Juniperleaf stepped out of Crabstar's den and the red tom looked at his made with sad eyes. "We'll have to tell them soon, Juniperleaf."

The beautiful light ginger she-cat shook her head sadly. "Do you want to do it now?"

Crabstar swallowed and looked down at his clan once more. Gorsefur was now sitting beside her mate, Stripetail, and was sharing a skinny shrew with him. Crabstar closed his eyes for a moment, on the verge of tears.

He looked back up, into Juniperleaf's golden-blue eyes. "I might as well," he sighed. He turned around. "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey gather here below Rock-Ledge for a clan meeting!"

The cats that were in the clearing looked up at Crabstar and some of the TorchClan cats emerged from their dens. "Cat's of TorchClan! I have grave news to tell. The monsters are getting closer to our camp day by day, and soon we will have to leave our territory, and head after MarshClan and StrikeClan."

Startled gasps erupted from the cats below Crabstar and Juniperleaf. Gorsefur jumped up, her pelt bristling.

"But my kit's will be born in less than a moon! I can't travel like this," she yowled. Stripetail stood and drew his tail along her back.

Yewbark came away from the entrance to the Medicine Cat's Den. "Crabstar, Gorsefur is right. She can't travel while expecting kits, nor can she travel in this weather! It's going to snow in a few sunrises." Yewbark fixed Crabstar with a stern glare. "It's either we stay until the kits are born, or you go without a queen or a medicine cat."

Crabstar drew in a sharp breath while more gasps echoed around the camp. "Yewbark, you can't do that to us. Even if we wait until the kits are born, the camp may be torn to shreds by then. And it would be even worse having kits on our paws during this horrible leaf-bare weather."

The she-cat hissed and hung her head. "I know," she mewed. "I know."

Crabstar turned his attention back to his daughter. "Gorsefur, I would like you to go with Yewbark outside of the territory, to where it is safe." Gorsefur opened her mouth to argue but Crabstar shut her up with a glare. "Now. Yewbark, I know that Cedarwing knows a bit about herbs, and he will help the clan while you two are out of camp."

Stripetail stepped forward. "May I go with her too, Crabstar?"

The TorchClan leader nodded his head, then he turned and disappeared into the shadows of his den.

A quarter moon later, Crabstar sat in a copse of young cedar trees with his clan huddled around him. The monsters had gotten so close to the camp that they couldn't go on border patrols without losing a cat. They had already lost Kinkstripe and Coralpelt to monsters and Ivytail and Icetalon to monsters.

Soon, the whole of Torchclan would have to leave and follow StrikeClan and MarshClan to where it is safe. Crabstar stood and stretched, removing the kinks that had formed in his muscles over night. He could hear the faint roar of the monsters as the worked, tearing down the trees and turning up the rocks. Juniperleaf opened one blue eye and looked at him.

"We're leaving now," she said with sadness in her mew. "Aren't we?"

Crabstar nodded sadly and crossed the clearing to where Gorsefur lay with Yewbark running a paw across the young queens belly.

"It seems like you're going to have at least two kits," Yewbark was saying. She looked up when Crabstar approached. "Gorsefur will be kitting in less than a quarter moon. We can't leave yet."

Crabstar sighed. "I'm sorry, Yewbark, but we'll have to. The monsters are closing in on us and we need to go find StrikeClan and MarshClan." He glanced at the sun that was disappearing behind the horizon. "Hopefully they found the Clans somewhere safe to live."

The TorchClan's leader's green eyes held wisdom, but he was afraid he didn't have enough. _StarClan please save us! _Crabstar sat in the middle of the clearing for a while, watching the sun go down and his ancestors come out, shining brightly. He jumped slightly when he felt a tail on his shoulder. He turned and looked into the blue eyes of Juniperleaf.

"Why don't you come and sleep," she mewed softly. "You'll need it for the journey tomorrow."

Crabstar nodded and let himself be led to the makeshift nests they had made when they had to flee the camp.

The next morning, Crabstar gathered his clan together. They all yawned, not used to being up before dawn. Crabstar waved his tail and, together, they all set off towards a set of rolling hills that Stripetail pointed out the previous night. Juniperleaf walked beside Gorsefur and Yewbark, helping her daughter get along.

Crabstar walked slowly, making sure that the elders, kits, and queens could keep up. The TorchClan leader stopped when they reached an open meadow. The grass swayed in the leaf-bare breeze and Crabstar shivered. Fluffing up his pelt, he trudged on with a light snow beginning to fall around them. Crabstar sighed.

A few sunrises later, Crabstar stood a few tail-lengths away from Gorsefur, who lay on the rock writhing in pain. The TorchClan leader flinched when he heard her screech in pain.

"It's alright, Gorsefur," Yewbark soothed. "They're almost here."

Crabstar watched as Gorsefur stopped a few moments before sqeezing her eyes shut. Ripples crossed over her body and the stick that was in her mouth shattered with a _crack!_

After several long and excruciating moments, Gorsefur ended up with a tom and she-cat. Crabstar felt pride for his daughter and his Clan. _TorchClan is growing_, he purred.

The kits were named Gingerkit- a light ginger she-cat with yellow eyes- and Bumblekit- a dark brown tabby tom. Crabstar though Gingerkit resembled Gorsefur so much and Bumblekit resembled Stripetail.

Crabstar sighed. If a few more days, they would finally arrive where MarshClan and StrikeClan were. Hopefully they could get there without losing any more cats. Yewbark took on an apprentice, Barkpaw, who was as nice as her to any cat.

The TorchClan leader looked up at the bright, blue sky that offered warmth to the cold leaf-bare days. It had stopped snowing that morning, but Crabstar could tell there was more snow along the way. By the way there were dark clouds starting to blow in with the wind, he knew.

It was almost night went it started to snow once more. The sun was still shinning, but it would soon be covered. Crabstar turned away, padded a few paw steps to the edge of a cliff the clan had stopped by, and sighed.

_Starclan please let us get to our new territory safely. And please let Gorsefur and her kits make it through these mountains and the horrible weather. _

Crabstar looked up to the sky. Dark clouds covered the shining sun, extinguishing any warmth that it would have provided during these dark, dark times.


End file.
